Ruling Party Leadership in-fighting escalates…'Choi Min-hee expulsion' vs 'Kim Min-seok audit' head-on collision

In-fighting within the Democratic Party leadership is escalating into an all-out confrontation, with ethics audit directives and a collective boycott of Supreme Council meetings. The dispute, triggered by recent remarks made by Supreme Council member Choi Min-hee at a private party members' meeting, is intensifying amid a power struggle between the pro-party ruling faction (pro-Lee Jae-myung) and the non-ruling faction (pro-Jung Cheong-rae).

Recording of 'impeachment opposition remarks and religious group support' sparks controversy

The dispute began with remarks by Supreme Council member Choi that were disclosed through recent media reports. It is known that Choi made remarks at a closed party members' meeting on the 16th of last month suggesting that President Lee Jae-myung had opposed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. The controversy expanded further when an additional recording of remarks made during the August national convention was reported, which included suggestions that a specific religious organization supported Chairman Kim Min-seok. Previously, Supreme Council member Choi had publicly apologized for using inappropriate language toward National Assembly photographers and videographers.

As the controversy grew, Kang You-jeong, the presidential spokesperson, immediately refuted the remarks about the impeachment, saying "it is groundless and we express strong regret." Supreme Council member Choi also corrected and apologized for her remarks through social media and a press conference, stating "it was a mistaken expression due to confusion with the issue of former Prime Minister Han Deok-soo's impeachment." The religious organization in question also drew a line, stating there was no fact of systematically supporting any specific politician.

Kim Min-seok plays 'ethics audit' card; pro-Lee faction pressures for Choi Min-hee's expulsion

Chairman Kim Min-seok recognized on the 12th the seriousness of Supreme Council member Choi's series of controversial remarks and comments, instructing the party's ethics audit committee to conduct an immediate investigation. Pro-Lee faction members and the Democratic Party's national reform association, a group with pro-Lee tendencies within the party, called for Choi's expulsion, arguing that her remarks undermined party discipline and unity.

Pro-Jung faction's three-member group boycotts meeting, holds counter-press conference…"targeted investigation" counter-attack

The pro-Jung faction Supreme Council members strongly opposed this. Supreme Council members Choi Min-hee, Lee Seong-yoon, and Han Min-su boycotted the Supreme Council meeting held on the 13th and held a separate press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center. At the press conference, they argued "the target of ethics audit should not be Supreme Council member Choi but Chairman Kim Min-seok," raising questions about the fairness of the audit directive. They also raised suspicions that an ongoing party-level investigation into allegations of collective recruitment of Shincheonji members was a targeted investigation aimed at former Chairman Jung Cheong-rae, and demanded full disclosure of investigation results.

The ruling faction criticized the collective action by some members of the leadership as inappropriate divisive behavior. Park Sung-jun, the senior spokesman, pointed out that the Supreme Council members' boycott of the meeting was "very inappropriate collective action that divides the party."

Senior party members are urging conflict resolution through meetings between Chairman Kim and former Chairman Jung, but as the differences between the two sides on the fairness of the Shincheonji investigation and the legitimacy of the ethics audit widen, internal discord is expected to continue for some time.